Printing pallet for articles of clothing

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a pallet for printing on an article of clothing. The pallet includes a mount plate including a first end and a second end and a top plate including a first end and a second end. The second end of the top plate located at the second end of the mount plate. A gap is between the top plate and the mount plate. A collar plate is located on the first end of the mount plate. The first end of the mount plate extends beyond the first end of the top plate to define a space between the top plate and the collar plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/981,644, filed on May 16, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,027,539, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/506,686, filed May 16, 2017, the entirety of which is fullyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to printing pallets that may be used toprint graphics on articles of clothing. This provides printingcapabilities on two different locations of the article of clothingduring the same printing process.

A common problem faced by the printing of graphics on articles ofclothing, such as t-shirts, is that the article of clothing typicallyhas to be placed on a printing pallet to print at one location, removed,and replaced on the printing pallet to print at another location. Itwould be desirable to provide a product that provides a convenient wayto print on two different locations of an article of clothing during thesame printing step, without having to first remove the article ofclothing from the printing pallet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to printing pallets that may be used toprint graphics at two different locations of the article of clothingduring the same printing process. In particular, the two locations areon the front exterior surface of the clothing article and at the topinterior surface (i.e. the label area) of the clothing article.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, pallets forprinting on an article of clothing are disclosed. The pallets include(i) a mount plate having a first end and a second end, and (ii) a topplate having a first end and a second end, the second end of the topplate located at the second end of the mount plate. The first end of thetop plate is oriented towards the first end of the mount plate, so thatthe top plate overlays the mount plate. A gap (in height) is locatedbetween the top plate and the mount plate. A collar plate is alsoincluded which is located on the first end of the mount plate. The firstend of the mount plate extends beyond the first end of the top plate todefine a space between the top plate and the collar plate (i.e. alongthe length of the pallet). The top plate is wider than the mount plate.

An upper surface of the top plate and an upper surface of the collarplate are generally coplanar.

In particular embodiments, the pallet includes a stiffener plate locatedbetween the second end of the mount plate and the second end of the topplate. The stiffener plate defines the gap between the top plate and themount plate.

In particular embodiments, the pallet also includes a collar mountlocated at the first end of the mount plate and the collar plate islocated on top of the collar mount.

In some embodiments, the collar plate has a general C-shape when viewedfrom the side, and the general C-shape is at least partially defined bya first leg and a second leg. The first leg of the collar plate extendsbeyond the first end of the mount plate. The second leg of the collarplate extends toward the top plate. The collar plate can be adjustablein a forward direction toward the top plate and a backward directionaway from the top plate.

In particular embodiments, the mount plate includes a plurality ofthrough holes for attaching the top plate and the collar plate to themount plate.

In some particular embodiments, the gap has a fixed distance of about0.125 to 0.50 inches. The mount plate has a length of about 20 to 25inches and a width of about 5 to 10 inches. The top plate has a lengthof about 15 to 20 inches and a width of about 10 to 20 inches. The mountplate is always longer than the top plate. The top plate is usuallywider than the mount plate.

The entire pallet, including the mount plate, the top plate, and thecollar plate, can be made from aluminum.

The article of clothing can be a t-shirt, or a sweat shirt, amongothers.

Also disclosed herein are methods of printing on an article of clothingusing a printing pallet. The method includes receiving a printing pallethaving the structure described above and herein. An article of clothingis received for mounting, with the front of the clothing article beingplaced over the top plate and the rear of the clothing article beingplaced within the gap, and an inner surface adjacent to a collar of thearticle of clothing being mounted over the collar plate. Printing isthen performed onto both the front outer surface of the article ofclothing and the inner surface adjacent to the collar (i.e. the labelarea).

The article of clothing is positioned over the top plate such that theouter surface of the article of clothing defines a first printingsurface. The inner surface adjacent the collar is then positioned overthe collar plate such that the inner surface adjacent the collar definesa second printing surface coplanar with the first printing surface.Printing then proceeds on the first printing surface and the secondprinting surface without needing to remove the article of clothing fromthe printing pallet.

Also disclosed herein is a pallet for printing on an article ofclothing, which includes (i) a mount plate having a first end and asecond end, (ii) a stiffener plate attached on the second end of themount plate, (iii) a top plate having a first end and a second end,wherein the second end of the top plate is attached on top of thestiffener plate, a gap between the top plate and the mount plate havinga fixed distance defined by the stiffener plate, (iv) a collar mountattached on the first end of the mount plate, and (v) a collar plateattached on top of the collar mount such that an upper surface of thecollar plate is coplanar with an upper surface of the top plate. Thefirst end of the mount plate extends beyond the first end of the topplate to define a space between the top plate and the collar plate.

These and other non-limiting characteristics of the disclosure are moreparticularly disclosed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a brief description of the drawings, which arepresented for the purposes of illustrating the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein and not for the purposes of limiting the same.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a printing pallet ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the printing pallet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a mount plate for use in the printing palletof FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the mount plate of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a side view of a top plate for use in the printing pallet ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the top plate of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a stiffener plate for use in the printing palletof FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a collar plate for use in the printing palletof FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the methods of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is an illustration showing an article of clothing mounted uponthe printing pallet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A more complete understanding of the components and apparatus disclosedherein can be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings. Thesefigures are merely schematic representations based on convenience andthe ease of demonstrating the present disclosure, and are, therefore,not intended to indicate relative size and dimensions of the devices orcomponents thereof and/or to define or limit the scope of the exemplaryembodiments.

Although specific terms are used in the following description for thesake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to theparticular structure of the embodiments selected for illustration in thedrawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of thedisclosure. In the drawings and the following description below, it isto be understood that like numeric designations refer to components oflike function. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used in the specification, various devices and parts may be describedas “comprising” other components. The terms “comprise(s),” “include(s),”“having,” “has,” “can,” “contain(s),” and variants thereof, as usedherein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases, terms, orwords that do not preclude the possibility of additional components.However, such description should be construed as also describing thedevices and parts as “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” theenumerated components, and excluding other components.

Numerical values should be understood to include numerical values whichare the same when reduced to the same number of significant figures andnumerical values which differ from the stated value by less than theexperimental error of the conventional measurement technique used todetermine the value.

The phrase “coplanar” is used herein in the lay sense of two surfacesbeing at about the same height, and should not be construed in a strictmathematical sense.

As used herein, approximating language may be applied to modify anyquantitative representation that may vary without resulting in a changein the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a valuemodified by a term or terms, such as “about” and “substantially,” maynot be limited to the precise value specified, in some cases. Themodifier “about” should also be considered as disclosing the rangedefined by the absolute values of the two endpoints. For example, theexpression “from about 2 to about 4” also discloses the range “from 2 to4.”

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are two views of an exemplary embodiment of a printingpallet for articles of clothing, such as t-shirts. FIG. 1 is a top viewand FIG. 2 is a side view. FIGS. 3-6 are various views of the variouscomponents which make up the pallet illustrated in FIGS. 1-2. FIG. 3Aand FIG. 3B are a front view and a top view, respectively, of a mountplate discussed in further detail below. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are a sideview and a bottom view, respectively, of a top plate discussed infurther detail below. FIG. 5 is a top view of a stiffener platediscussed in further detail below. FIG. 6 is a side view of a collarplate discussed in further detail below.

Referring first to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the printing pallet 100 isgenerally comprised of three main components including a mount plate102, a top plate 104, and a collar plate 106. The mount plate 102 has afirst end 108 and a second end 110 that define a length of the mountplate. The mount plate also has an upper surface 112 and a lower surface114. The top plate 104 has a first end 120 and a second end 122 thatdefine a length of the top plate. The top plate also has an uppersurface 124 and a lower surface 126. The top plate 104 can includecurved corner portions 128 located at the first end 120 of the topplate.

The second end 122 of the top plate 104 is generally located at thesecond end 110 of the mount plate 102 and on the upper surface 112thereof. The first end 120 of the top plate is aligned in the directionof the first end 108 of the mount plate. Put another way, the lengths ofthe mount plate 102 and the top plate 104 generally extend along acommon axis (i.e., the X-axis). The length of the mount plate 102 isgreater than the length of the top plate 104. In other words, the firstend 108 of the mount plate 102 extends beyond the first end 120 of thetop plate 104. In addition, the widths of the mount plate 102 and thetop plate 104 extend along a common axis (i.e., the Y-axis of FIG. 1).However, the width of the top plate 104 is greater than the width of themount plate 102.

In some particular embodiments, the mount plate has a length of about 20inches to about 25 inches, and the top plate has a length of about 15inches to about 20 inches. In some particular embodiments, the mountplate has a width of about 5 to about 10 inches and the top plate has awidth of about 10 inches to about 20 inches. However, these dimensionsare only exemplary and it should be understood that the mount plate andtop plate can have any desired dimensions necessary to support clothingarticles of different sizes. For example, the dimensions of the mountplate and the top plate can be changed to support commonly known t-shirtsizes, such as small, medium, large, x-large, etc. and the like.However, the top plate generally has a shorter length and a greaterwidth compared to the mount plate.

The collar plate 106 is located at the first end 108 of the mount plate104 and on the upper surface thereof. Because of the difference inlength between the mount plate 102 and the top plate 104, a space 129 isdefined between the top plate 102 and the collar plate 106 along thelength of the pallet (i.e. the X-axis). The mount plate 102, top plate104, and collar plate 106 are generally located relative to one anothersuch that a common center line C is shared between the mount plate, topplate, and collar plate.

Referring to FIG. 2, a stiffener plate 134 can be located between theupper surface 112 of the mount plate 102 and the lower surface 126 ofthe top plate 104 at the second ends 110, 122 of the mount plate and topplate, respectively. The stiffener plate defines a vertical gap 138(i.e. along the Z-axis) having a fixed distance between the uppersurface 112 of the mount plate and the lower surface 126 of the topplate 104. In some particular embodiments, the fixed distance of the gap138 (i.e., the thickness of the stiffener plate 134) can be about 0.125inches to about 0.50 inches, including about 0.25 inches. A collar mount140 can be located at the first end 108 of the mount plate 102, betweenthe upper surface 112 of the mount plate and a lower surface 142 of thecollar plate 106. These components are sized such that the upper surface144 of the collar plate is coplanar with the upper surface 124 of thetop plate 104. Put another way, the upper surface 144 of the collarplate is raised above the upper surface 112 of the mount plate. Thereare no other surfaces at the first end 108 of the mount plate that areraised above the upper surface 112 of the mount plate.

Additional details of the mount plate 102 are shown in FIG. 3A and FIG.3B. Starting with FIG. 3A, the mount plate 102 has two legs 115 whichrun the length of the mount plate and which generally extend downwardfrom the lower surface 114 of the mount plate. A curved edge 116provides a transition between the legs 115 and the upper surface 112 ofthe mount plate 102.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the mount plate 102 can be provided with aplurality of through holes 118 a, 118 b at the second end 110 of themount plate. These through holes generally extend through the thicknessof the mount plate, or in other words between the lower surface 114 andthe upper surface 112. The plurality of through holes 118 a, 118 bprovide a means for attaching the top plate 102 to the mount plate 102using associated fasteners (not shown) known to those having skill inthe art, such as bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, etc., as will be explainedfurther herein.

As also seen in FIG. 3B, the mount plate 102 includes one or moreattachment slots 119 at the first end 108 of the mount plate. Theseattachment slots also extend through the thickness of the mount plate,or in other words between the lower surface 114 and the upper surface112. The one or more attachment slots 119 provide a means for attachingthe collar mount 140 and collar plate 106 using associated fasteners(not shown) to the first end 108 of the mount plate 102 on the uppersurface 112 thereof. In this regard, the collar mount 140 and collarplate 106 include corresponding attachment holes (not shown). When themount plate 102, the collar mount 140, and the collar plate 106 areassembled, the attachment holes of the collar mount and the collar plateare aligned with the attachment slots 119 of the mount plate 102 toreceive the associated fasteners. Suitable associated fasteners for usewith the attachment slots 119 and the attachment holes of the collarmount 140 and collar plate 106 are as described above. The attachmentslots are designed so that the collar mount 140 and the collar plate 106can be adjusted back and forth along the attachment slots 119 to adesired position relative to the top plate (which is fixed in placerelative to the mount plate). Once the collar mount 140 and collar plate106 are in the desired position, the fasteners can easily bere-tightened to secure the collar mount to the mount plate 102. In otherwords, the space 129 between the collar plate 106 and the top plate 104can be increased or decreased as desired.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, additional details of the top plate 104 areshown. In particular, the top plate 104 can include a leg portion 130located at the second end 122 of the top plate. The leg portion 130generally extends in a downward direction from the lower surface 126 ofthe top plate 104. When fully assembled with the stiffener plate 134 andthe mount plate 102, the leg portion 130 is generally located behind thestiffener plate, as seen in FIG. 2. The leg portion is intended to aidin assembling the pallet, however it should be noted that the legportion 130 is optional.

FIG. 4B is a top view of the top plate 104. The curved corner portions128 are visible at the first end 120 of the top plate. The leg portion130 is indicated at the opposite end of the top plate. Through holes 132a are also present at the second end 122. These through holes 132 aalign with the through holes 118 a of the mount plate seen in FIG. 3B(note the scale of these two figures is somewhat different).

FIG. 5 is a top view of the stiffener plate 134 that can be used tocreate the gap between the mount plate and the top plate. The stiffenerplate has a first set of through holes 136 a, and a second set ofthrough holes 136 b, all located about the perimeter of the stiffenerplate. The through holes 136 a align with the through holes 118 a of themount plate seen in FIG. 3B. The through holes 136 b align with thethrough holes 118 b of the mount plate seen in FIG. 3B.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, FIG. 4B, and FIG. 5 together, through holes118 a are used to attach both the stiffener plate 134 and the top plate104 to the second end 110 of the mount plate 102. Generally, throughholes 118 b and 136 b are concentrically aligned first, and are used toattach only the stiffener plate 134 to the mount plate 102. Throughholes 118 a, 132 a, and 136 a are then concentrically aligned to receivefasteners to join the mount plate 102, the stiffener plate 134, and thetop plate 104 together. The presence of the through holes 118 b, 136 bis intended to make it easier to assemble the pallet together by firstpermitting two of the plates to be securely joined together, thenjoining the top plate to the other two plates. However, the throughholes 118 b, 136 b can be optional as well.

Additional details of the collar plate 106 can be seen in FIG. 6. Inparticular, the collar plate 106 is shown as being a generally C-shapedbody when viewed from the side. The C-shape of the collar plate 106 isat least partially defined by a first leg 146 and a second leg 148 whichextend downwards from the lower surface 142. When fully assembled withthe mount plate 102 and/or the collar mount 140, the first leg 146 ofthe collar plate 106 extends beyond the first end 108 of the mount plateand the second leg 148 extends toward the first end 120 of the top plate(see FIG. 1).

The pallet 100 and its associated components, including the mount plate102, top plate 104, collar plate 106, stiffener plate 134, and collarmount 140 can be made from any material known to those having skill inthe art as being useful in the production of printing pallets. Suchmaterials include metals, wood, plastic, etc. However it is preferredthat the pallet and its associated components are made from aluminum.

Referring back to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the collar plate 106 is raised(along the Z-axis) relative to the mount plate 102. It is noted thatthere is no ring around the collar plate, or any other structure thatinteracts with the collar plate so as to create any slot around thecollar plate.

The pallet 100 and its associated components described above are usefulin the printing of graphics (e.g., text, images, etc.) onto articles ofclothing, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, long-sleeve shirts,polo shirts, jackets, coats, blouses, etc., and any other article ofclothing which is generally worn on the upper part of the body.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, use of the pallet 100 can be describedwith reference to a t-shirt. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating themethods of the present disclosure. In step 710, the pallet is provided.The t-shirt is received for mounting upon the pallet 100. The t-shirtitself will have a front and a back. The front of the t-shirt will havean outer surface, while the back of the t-shirt will have both an outersurface and an inner surface. The upper end of the t-shirt will have acollar, which is shaped such that a portion of the inner surface of theback of the t-shirt will be visible from the front. This portion of theinner surface of the back of the t-shirt can be referred to herein asthe “label area”, and is the location where a label is usually placed onthe t-shirt. The label can be used to identify the maker of the t-shirt,provide information on the washing/drying of the t-shirt, etc.

In step 720 of FIG. 7, the t-shirt is placed on the pallet over the topplate 104, such that the outer surface of the front of the t-shirt isupon the top plate 104, while the back of the t-shirt is located withinthe gap 138 and through the space 129. The article of clothing is firstreceived at the space 129 defined between the top plate 104 and thecollar plate 106, and the back side of the article of clothing islocated within the gap 138. This is illustrated in FIG. 8. The top plate104 is positioned within the t-shirt such that a front inner surface ofthe t-shirt is supported by the upper surface 124 of the top plate 104(step 724), and a front outer surface (e.g., a chest portion) is exposedfor printing (step 722). The curved corners 128 of the top plate 104help to prevent the t-shirt from getting caught/ripped as an operatorslides the t-shirt down the pallet.

Prior to or after positioning the front outer surface of the t-shirt onthe top plate 104, the inner surface adjacent to the collar of thet-shirt is placed on the collar plate 106. The collar is placed aroundthe collar plate 106 and the inner surface adjacent the collar (i.e. thelabel area) is mounted over the upper surface 142 of the collar plate.The C-shape of the collar plate 106 facilitates the placing of thecollar around the collar plate. The first leg 146 of the collar plate106 can be used to “hook” a portion of the collar so that the innersurface adjacent the collar is held in place on the collar plate. Theinner surface adjacent the collar defines a second printing surface.Since the upper surface 142 of the collar plate 106 is coplanar with theupper surface 124 of the top plate 104, as described above, the firstprinting surface defined by the front side outer surface of the t-shirtis also coplanar with the second printing surface defined by the innersurface adjacent the collar. In this regard, when printing proceeds instep 730 of FIG. 7, printing occurs on the first printing surface andthe second printing surface without having to remove the t-shirt fromthe pallet. In other words, both the front outer surface and the innersurface adjacent the collar of the t-shirt can be printed during thesame printing step.

The second printing surface defined by the inner surface adjacent thecollar of the t-shirt typically provides a smaller printing arearelative to the first printing surface defined by the front outersurface of the t-shirt, which provides a larger printing area. Forexample, a smaller logo type graphic can be printed on the inner surfaceadjacent the collar, while a larger logo or different graphic design canbe printed on the front outer surface of the t-shirt.

The printing pallets disclosed herein can be used for any suitableprinting process. For example, printing processes such as screenprinting, direct to garment, transfer printing, heat press transferprinting, heat transfer vinyl printing, etc., and the like, can be used.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to an exemplaryembodiment. Modifications and alterations will occur to others uponreading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It isintended that the present disclosure be construed as including all suchmodifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope ofthe appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. A pallet for printing on an article of clothing, comprising: a mountplate including a first end and a second end; a top plate including afirst end and a second end, the second end of the top plate located atthe second end of the mount plate and the top plate being fixed in placerelative to the mount plate; a gap between the top plate and the mountplate; a collar plate located on the first end of the mount plate; andwherein the first end of the mount plate extends beyond the first end ofthe top plate to define a space between the top plate and the collarplate, and wherein the collar plate is adjustable in a forward directiontoward the top plate and a backward direction away from the top plate.2. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the top plate is wider than the mountplate.
 3. The pallet of claim 1, further comprising a stiffener platelocated between the second end of the mount plate and the second end ofthe top plate, the stiffener plate defining the gap between the topplate and the mount plate.
 4. The pallet of claim 1, further comprisinga collar mount located at the first end of the mount plate, wherein thecollar plate is located on top of the collar mount.
 5. The pallet ofclaim 1, wherein an upper surface of the top plate and an upper surfaceof the collar plate are generally coplanar.
 6. The pallet of claim 1,wherein the collar plate has a general C-shape when viewed from theside, the general C-shape at least partially defined by a first leg anda second leg.
 7. The pallet of claim 6, wherein the first leg of thecollar plate extends beyond the first end of the mount plate.
 8. Thepallet of claim 7, wherein the second leg of the collar plate extendstoward the top plate.
 9. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the mount platefurther comprises a plurality of through holes for attaching the topplate and the collar plate to the mount plate.
 10. The pallet of claim1, wherein the gap has a fixed distance of about 0.125 to 0.50 inches.11. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the mount plate has a length of about20 to 25 inches and a width of about 5 to 10 inches.
 12. The pallet ofclaim 1, wherein the top plate has a length of about 15 to 20 inches anda width of about 10 to 20 inches.
 13. The pallet of claim 1, wherein themount plate, the top plate, and the collar plate are made from aluminum.14. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the article of clothing is a t-shirt.15. A pallet for printing on an article of clothing, comprising: a mountplate including a first end and a second end; a stiffener plate attachedon the second end of the mount plate; a top plate including a first endand a second end, wherein the second end of the top plate is attached ontop of the stiffener plate; a gap between the top plate and the mountplate, the gap having a fixed distance defined by the stiffener plate;and a collar mount attached on the first end of the mount plate; whereinthe first end of the mount plate extends beyond the first end of the topplate to define a space between the top plate and the collar plate, andwherein the collar mount is adjustable in a forward direction toward thetop plate and a backward direction away from the top plate.